Daily Archives: September 11, 2016

Flexible Seating- This is going unbelievably well! The kids have really done well in becoming mindful of where they learn best and are really enjoying it. They seem happy and comfortable in their environment…and are getting their work done…yahoo!

Morning Meeting- We come together as a group to share some special time together each day. It is a time where we discuss what our day will entail, share exciting things that are happening in our lives, take part in a community building activity and set goals (academic and behavior) for our day.

Word Study- Each week we will focus on a spelling pattern that we will practice in our daily reading and writing. Our focus for September is short vowels. We begin our practice on the white boards which has been an instant hit! Next comes a quick paper and pencil activity followed by hands on word building of the skill we are focusing on. There will be no weekly tests to study for as I believe that the best practice is done in context. We will be transferring the skills we learn and reflecting them in how we are growing as readers and writers. (Ms. O will be very picky with our writing:)

Reader’s Workshop- This is a focused time of our day where we learn and practice decoding and comprehension strategies. September will consist of learning the routine and expectations that go along with RW.

Writer’s Workshop- In WW we will be learning and practicing the nuts and bolts of the writing process. We are in the midst of learning the routine right now and have begun talking and learning about how a sentence is put together. We will be focusing on capitals, punctuation, finger spaces and word choice over the weeks to come. Illustrations are also a fun part of creating our written pieces, so we will be taking part in many guided drawing exercises to learn how to draw people, places and things:)

Arts Ed- Fun guided drawings, fall art and of course painting are on the agenda for the next few weeks! The kids have spent one period so far with Miss. F learning about music and will enjoy a weekly session with her all year! Drama and Dance activities occur weekly as well during our activity portion of our morning meeting. We will also be learning about other curricular outcomes through arts ed as well. (ex. learning about motion (science) through dance)

Health- Respect is a very important character trait which we are learning about right now, but will be an everyday practice all year. We are also learning about healthy eating habits and are trying really hard to eat our healthiest snack from our lunch kit in the morning to help fuel our brain for learning.

Social- We are exploring community in social including our school, Dalmeny and other communities that we are a part of. We are also reading and reporting on different kinds of communities that you can find all over Canada. (ex…cities, towns, suburbs, northern communities).

Science- We are beginning our Position and Motion unit tomorrow and will take part in some really cool activities.

Phys Ed- We are enjoying the gym 3 times a week, but will be taking part in phys ed on a daily basis as well as many “in motion” breaks throughout our day. When we are not in the gym we will be enjoying a morning walk as well as taking part in “Cosmic Kids” via YouTube on Friday mornings. Cosmic Kids is yoga for kids that focuses on mindfulness, relaxation and stretching. Take a peak and see what you think:)

I try my absolute best to have the kids learn as a community in our classroom by involving them in the process as much as possible. We experience rich, hands on learning experiences everyday which engage the kids and give them ownership over their learning. I am very excited to get the kids set up on the digital portfolio app “Fresh Grade” in the next couple weeks. This tool helps me capture their learning through pictures and videos as the learning is happening. I will be sending home information on the app shortly that explains more.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I know it was long, but I want my families to be as informed and involved in our classroom as much as possible.